kill ALL non OS processes?

[dbarton]

Is there a utilty that will simply kill ALL processes that aren't part of the OS?

Every now and again I need a *clean* system, and "taskmanage" then "end process" on all of these one by one is a drag..

I know I could write a batch file to kill them with taskkill, but I prefer a one step method for any PC.

thanks

 

[Piuc2020]

That is pretty much the point of Safe Mode (F5).

 

[dbarton]

Yes, but that requires a reboot..
Don't need it quite that minimal.

 

[Scarpozzi]

I'm not aware of any utility that does this, but if you're really wanting a clean system for testing or something, you could always look into VMware Workstation. You can ignore changes to the disk if you want and run it with nothing installed other than what came with it.

To do something similar on your local system, consider creating a user account on your system and use the Group Policy Editor to tweak what processes start.

Edit: The problem is that too many programs run in the background. (ie. iTunes, AV, Update managers, etc) They spawn 2-3 processes and don't really do anything. The only way other than picking them out individually or through your batch file is to stop them from running at startup.

 

[Modelworks]

download process explorer.
It will let you see in detail what each process is doing.
http://technet.microsoft.com/e...nternals/bb896653.aspx

It will not close them for you, but will let you decide what you can close safely.
Once you identify the process and what is starting it, then disable it at the source.

 

[dbarton]

Originally posted by: Scarpozzi

To do something similar on your local system, consider creating a user account on your system and use the Group Policy Editor to tweak what processes start.

Can group policy be used to tell it not to run something like Norton AV, just for that user? I don't see that...

 

[thegorx]

I think there was a program for gaming that claimed that you configure it to stop services while playing.